Coonawarra, SA Vegan Best Wines Under $50

This is top end Coonawarra Cab done right. A grade vines are hand tended, the fruit bunch sorted, open fermented, basket pressed and put into superb French oak for a couple of years. Red fruits, mulberries, bramble, olives, dried herbs are all in the mix. The palate is extremely powerful, textural, intense and long. An exceptional, single vineyard Coonawarra Cab. Learn More

Typically Cab Franc is relegated to a bit part in Cabernet blends, featuring alongside one or more of the other ‘Cab Family’ varieties with Cabernet Sauvignon holding the mic. in a Nirvana like blend while some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Merlot and/or Petit Verdot draw straws for the drums, bass, bagpipes and triangle. That said, when Cab Franc branches out on its own it can be quite magnificent. We noticed on our recent trip to the home of the Cab family, Bordeaux that global warming has seen use of Cab Sauv start to fall away, with Cab Franc on the rise as it is able to retain varietal integrity as the world warms. The Leconfield is exceptional single vineyard Cab Franc from vines planted in 1982. Ageing occurs in French oak (90%) most of which is old. The wine is racked often to soften the tannins. The net result is kinda like a perfumed and expressive, yet gentler version of a top end Cabernet Sauvignon. Learn More

The Leconfield Coonawarra Merlot is widely considered to be among the top handful produced in Australia. The 2020 vintage has an exceptional framework of acidity and fine tannin within which it is currently hoarding plenty of ripe plums, violet and tomato leaf. Allow the wine to breathe and they will be shared with you in abundance. Learn More

Another textural Rose from Leconfield with red fruits, florals, and melon. Winemaker Paul Gordon works 2 very different ferments here... one aromatic ferment... where juice was cold settled, racked with low solids and cold fermented using an aromatic yeast. The other portion was fermented with whole solids and natural yeast at a warmer temperature, then allowed to undergo malo-lactic fermentation to promote mouthfeel and length. The end result is stunning and complex. Learn More

Leconfield make consistently excellent Riesling from what are now 48 year old vines. This is a fine wine with talcum powder and citrus aromatics. The palate is textural, offering minerality and excellent length. A product of the 2021 vintage, this is both effortlessly elegant and powerful. Learn More

Coonawarra producer Majella is one of the most awarded wineries in the land. The family have been in the region for 5 generations, first planting vines in 1968. Today they have 144 acres of stunning vineyard and a trophy cabinet which is as chokkers as Jabba the Hut’s dressing gown. Their Composer 21 Cabernet has picked up a gold medal at the Royal Adelaide Wine show, 5 other golds, a top gold and 4 trophies, including the Winestate Magazine Trophy for best Cabernet of the year!!! This is medium bodied with bright red and blue fruits and cassis. There’s subtle French oak cedar and plenty of fine but assertive tannins on the finish. Learn More